


You Cuddle All Your Friends Like This, Right?

by Humanity_is_Dean



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Cuddles, It's normal, M/M, Right?, Tumblr Prompt, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, clingy aang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:40:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25818196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humanity_is_Dean/pseuds/Humanity_is_Dean
Summary: Ladylisa's Zukaang promptAfter Zuko joins the group, Aang gets kinda clingy. Like always leaning on zuko, moving his sleeping bag right next to him and even boldly cuddling him one night as they fell asleep.Everyone sees it and no one says anything so zuko just assumes this is something aang does with all his friends. By the time he notices that it isnt, its been going on too long that zuko feels too awkward to ask "why do you do this"
Relationships: Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 33
Kudos: 562
Collections: A:tla





	You Cuddle All Your Friends Like This, Right?

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired completely by this prompt : https://ladylisa.tumblr.com/post/624656325510594560/zukaang-prompt-after-zuko-joins-the-group-aang
> 
> Wrote this real quick in the middle of the night. I hope you like it!

Zuko doesn’t think much of it, at first. He just assumed that this was just how Aang is with all his friends. Zuko just thought he was a touchy-feely kind of guy. That’s what he had heard about the airbenders in general. He sort of remembered hearing something about it briefly in school once. The monks were extremely in tune with their emotions and were extremely comfortable displaying affection to those they cared about. Aang was just simply comfortable showing any kind of affection because he grew up in that supportive atmosphere compared to Zuko who just didn't. At least, that's what Zuko assumed. 

It started small, you know? A head resting on his shoulder while the team sat around the fire. A sleeping bag resting directly beside his own. A hand reaching over to play with his fingers. Gentle fingers brushing the hair from his eyes. That kind of stuff was normal between friends.

Right?

Zuko feels pretty confident that he has seen Aang lean against Katara or sleep near Sokka before. These intimate moments can't be anything out of the norm for the airbender.

Other times, Zuko would leave to find food or check the perimeter for a couple of hours, and when he’d return, he was welcomed back by an armful of Avatar. Aang would just yell his name, tossing himself onto him like he hadn’t seen him in months. Sometimes, Aang would even take Zuko’s hand, leading him to the fire or Appa, or away from the others for one reason or another. More than once, Aang had laid his head in Zuko’s lap mid-conversation and would not move for an hour.

Then, it was Zuko’s hair. Zuko found himself the victim of many would-be braids and many questionable up-dos. If Zuko's hair was hanging around his face, one could bet that Aang's hands were not far behind. 

None of this fazed Zuko, though. Again, he just figured this was what having friends was like. The only friends he’d ever had were his sister’s friends, and he supposed Jet. Then, again, he wouldn’t really call any of them his actual friends. He would count Lu Ten, but he was more of a brother really. And, sure, none of the other "gaang" members did this with Zuko, but he reasoned they were still warming up to him. He had a good relationship with Toph, but she wasn't the touchy type. Sokka and Katara were coming along, but he understood their hesitation even still. He was just closer to Aang was all.

It wasn’t until one night in particular that Zuko started questioning the normalcy of these interactions. Zuko was lying on top of his sleeping mat, half asleep, when Aang dragged his right mat next to his, which was-- at this point-- a nightly occurrence. Then, when Zuko was on the edge of sleep, he felt an arm creep around his waist and a head nestle into his side. Shock rang through Zuko like a lightning. Aang started cuddling him.

_Aang- you know, the Avatar he spent what felt like forever tracking down? The Avatar that he currently spends most waking moments with? That Aang!-- was cuddling him._

Okay.

Okay. He was okay. Actually, it was kind of nice. Why not? The warmth radiating from the airbender was rather comforting. He hadn't been this close to someone since Mai, and even then, he didn't feel as relaxed as he did now. Too comfortable to do anything else, Zuko wrapped an arm around Aang’s shoulders, tugging him closer. This was normal. Aang did this with everyone. Zuko was positive. 

The next day, Zuko was determined to pay attention to how Aang interacted with everyone else. What he found, however, was really odd. Not at all what he had expected. He watched as Aang and Katara practiced waterbending and was surprised to find them at an amicable distance apart. Aang was not practically on top of Katara like he was with him. Well, firebending still made Aang nervous. Maybe he felt safer to be closer to someone while he trains with fire. That's understandable. With Toph, Aang was almost professional in his training. Sure, the two of them bickered and joked, but there was nothing physically out of the ordinary (or, Zuko supposed, there was). Not to mention that after every training session with both Katara and Toph, the two would bow and walk away talking. There was never— _not once_ —a “Traditional After Traning Hug” that Aang always insisted upon. At first, Zuko was really annoyed by the whole thing but after a few days, he really looked forward to it. The fact that he didn't do it with the others was just weird. Then, when it came to Sokka, all limbs were to themselves. That is unless they were devising some sort of ridiculous plan or doing their strange, strange version of wrestling. Most interestingly, Zuko found, Aang never slept beside or cuddled with anyone else.

Honestly, Zuko was kind of embarrassed to ask Aang about the whole thing. He didn’t want to make the kid feel bad, or even worse, find out he was being pranked this entire time. So, against his better judgment, Zuko decided to ask Sokka about the situation. “Hey, Sokka,” Zuko called out, one day while the two were brushing Appa.

“What can I help my favorite jerkbender with today?” Sokka asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Pushing his hair out of his eyes, Zuko said, “I was just wondering about Aang. Does he, you know—with the rest of you?”

For a few moments, Sokka was obviously very confused and was visibly replaying Zuko’s sentence in his head, trying to make sense of it. Then, finally, he understood exactly what Zuko was talking about. Shaking his head, he replied, “Nah, buddy. You have nothing to worry about.” 

“What?” Zuko asked, lost. What did Sokka think Zuko was talking about? 

“You have nothing to be jealous of. Aang is totally smitten with you,” Sokka said, winking and patting Zuko on the shoulder in encouragement. 

“Oh, okay,” Zuko muttered. He put the brush down and started to walk off. So, Sokka did know what he was talking about, it was Zuko who was confused. 

“Go get him, buddy,” Sokka called out.

It took some processing and asking Toph and Katara, as well. But, he came to the conclusion that Aang didn’t actually do this with the rest of his friends. And, actually, the others thought they were in some sort of relationship ever since they left to meet Ran and Shaw. Instead of confronting Aang about it, Zuko let it be. It wasn’t like he didn't enjoy these moments with Aang, and he even grew to anticipate them. He also knew if he told Aang, the Avatar would stop immediately. And, that’s the absolute last thing he wanted. So, Zuko didn’t do anything, and Aang continued to initiate contact. Though, now, Zuko didn't shy away from it as much and instead welcomed it gladly, knowing that both he and Aang got some comfort out of it.

So, one day, when Aang leaned in to kiss the firebender, Zuko welcomed it for what it was: a natural progression. For a long time, they didn’t talk about what all of these moments meant. They just were. If Aang needed a shoulder to lean on, Zuko was there. If Zuko needed a hand to hold, Aang was there to offer his. When tears fell from their eyes, their thumbs didn't hesitate to wipe the other's away. When Zuko became the Firelord and moved into the palace, it was no question which room Aang was taking. It wasn’t until one evening when they were cuddled together in bed that Aang finally admitted, “You know, Zuko, I don’t do this with all my friends.”

“Yeah, I kind of figured,” Zuko snorted. 

“I love you.”

“I kind of figured that, too, " Zuko whispered, pressing his lips to Aang's temple. "I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
